MIAMI GARDENS – Up by just one and with less than three minutes left in the game, Miami needed a game-breaking moment to pull away from Syracuse.
As the Hurricanes were inching closer to the end zone, there was a sense that something epic was about to happen. Sure enough, it did at the 2:48 mark.
Sophomore starting running back Travis Homer found a way to burst right through the trenches and into the end zone for an electrifying 33-yard touchdown run. Combined with an extra point by senior kicker Michael Badgely, Miami was able to escape Syracuse with a 27-19 victory.
Homer finished the game with 20 carries for 99 yards and the 33-yard game-winning score. He also added four catches for 27 yards, which ultimately resulted in a team-high 126 all-purpose yards.
“I couldn’t do anything without my line,” the Oxbridge Academy 2016 alum said. “All props go to them. They gave me a nice hole and all I did was run fast.”
Miami head coach Mark Richt offered his take on how the game-winner happened.
“We were spread out,” Richt said. “We ran a very simple inside zone play that, if you keep banging away at it, sometimes you catch a crease, and we did. It’s just glorious when he runs through there and you see a safety take a bad angle, and it’s going to be a house call. Going up by eight [points] still was no guarantee of victory, we know that. A touchdown and two-point play and you go to overtime.”
Fortunately for the Hurricanes, their swarming defense was able to keep Orange junior quarterback Eric Dungey and the offense from mounting a serious final drive to the end zone. With less than two minutes left in the game, Miami was finally able to exhale as they got into victory formation to seal the deal.
“We found another way to make it really exciting,” said Richt, who has led Miami (No. 8 AP national ranking at game time; 6-0; 4-0 in ACC). “Part of the reason was Syracuse is a really good football team. We’ve seen what they can do, especially last week with Clemson, but everybody that’s played them this year has been just talking about them and how much harder they’re playing now and with a purpose now. Not that they didn’t last year, but they’re a better team from what people say, from a year ago. It’s a tribute to what Coach [Dino] Babers is doing over there.”
The crazy part about this game was the play of Dungey, who led Syracuse (4-4; 2-2 in ACC) to the monumental upset win over defending national champion Clemson a little more than a week ago.
The dual-threat quarterback finished the game with some of the worst stats one would ever see, as he completed just 13 of 41 passes with 137 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions. He completed only 32 percent of his passes and couldn’t reach the end zone himself all game long.
But Dungey’s impact on his team – and the game – goes far beyond the numbers. With his heart and tenacity on display in every single play, Dungey was the game’s second best runner, racking up 20 carries for 100 yards in the process.
And Syracuse stayed in the game by doing two things with its offense: ball control and no-huddle looks.
“Their quarterback [Eric Dungey] is as tough as they come,” Richt said. “He’s a great runner, he’s a great leader. He’s as tough as he can be. We had a tough time getting him on the ground at times. He extended plays and kept drives going for them, with his wheels and with his arm. He’s one of the better quarterbacks we’ve played in a while.”
With all that said, Miami’s secondary became the first FBS team this year to grab four interceptions in the first half of a game. Two of those picks came from junior cornerback Michael Jackson, who was one of two players that earned the right to wear the now-trademark turnover chain in the game.
“It brought a lot of excitement,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen pictures of people in like South Carolina and other places, and even players in high school games wearing chains, so I feel like we started something.”
Dungey spoke on his four interceptions in the first half.
“Those are my fault,” Dungey said. “We has some miscommunication, but I need to communicate, so that’s on me. We knew what they were going to do. They’re good athletes. Credit Miami. That’s a great football team, they’re well coached. We just gotta make plays and when we get the opportunity, I gotta put the ball in the right spot.”
Despite all of those miscues, Dungey put his team in position to get four field goals from kicker Cole Murphy. The specialist got 13 of Syracuse’s 19 points in the game, including a 52-yarder that cut Miami’s lead to 20-19 with 5:29 left in the game.
When it was all said and done, it was a true battle between two good teams. Miami is still undefeated, while Syracuse proved it can play with anybody on the field for 60 minutes.
NOTES: Sophomore wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, who has been battling a hamstring injury all season long, came back to finish with six catches for 99 yards (team-high). Senior tight end Christopher Herndon finished with 10 catches for 96 yards (career-highs) and a 10-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Malik Rosier (26-of-43 passing, 344 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions).
Redshirt junior wide receiver Darrell Langham, who was named a team captain for the first time in his collegiate career, had one catch for 19 yards against Syracuse. He now has 10 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Freshman safety Amari Carter had two tackles, while sophomore linebacker Zach McCloud registered one tackle and a quarterback hurry. The defensive leader was sophomore linebacker Michael Pinckney, who had a team-high nine tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Senior offensive lineman Kc McDermott has extended his team-high streak of 27 consecutive starts. He has a chance to finish his collegiate career with up to 33 straights starts, given the fact that Miami has officially become bowl-eligible with its six wins this season.
Next game for Miami: road tilt at North Carolina (1-7; 0-5 in ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 28, 12 p.m. kickoff
Next game for Syracuse: Bye
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
